The Awakening
701 Words
After I woke up, I realized how cruel I used to be to my husbands—the torture and rejection I had shown them, all because I had lost faith in men. Everything I've done to them before even getting married came flushing in her mind
Before all of this, she used to live among the Fox Clan, where she was bullied, despised, and toyed with for being white—for being different.
The Fox Clan possesses the power of fire, a dangerous and destructive ability that they take great pride in. Being white was already seen as a bad omen, but lacking the fire ability unique to their race made them feel disgust toward her.
The fox men would often toy with her, mocking her weakness and treating her as less than one of their own—something she hated the most.
Desperate to escape, she ran through the forest. Branches scratched her delicate skin, and thorns pierced her feet, but she kept running despite her injuries.
At the height of her desperation, she awakened a new ability—the power to heal. It was an ability unique to the Deer Clan, a power that was said to belong only to the Deer Clan’s goddess.
The moment her power awakened… everything changed.
A soft green light wrapped around her trembling body, mending wounds that should have taken days—no, weeks—to heal.
Blood vanished. Pain faded. Even the scars disappeared as if they had never existed.
She stared at her hands.
“…What is this?”
For the first time, she wasn’t broken.
But that moment of peace didn’t last.
“You… what are you?”
She froze.
A man in ceremonial robes stood behind her, his presence suffocating. His eyes were fixed on her—not with kindness, but with something far more unsettling.
“The power of the Deer Goddess…” he whispered.
Guards emerged from the shadows.
“I—I didn’t mean to—” she stammered.
“You don’t need to explain,” the man said calmly. “You’ve already shown us enough.”
That was the moment her fate was sealed.
Days later, she stood in a grand hall, dressed in silk and gold that felt heavier than chains.
“You have been chosen,” the High Priest declared.
“To maintain balance among the Seven Clans… you will marry them.”
Her heart stopped.
“Seven…?”
“Yes.”
Seven husbands.
Seven clans.
Seven lives she didn’t want.
“I don’t want this…” she whispered.
But no one listened.
As she saw her beast husbands she show a face of disgust and hatred
"I hate you! I hate all of you"
That night… she ran.
Barefoot, heart pounding, she fled into the darkness, tearing through the forest just like before. Branches scratched her skin, thorns pierced her feet—but she didn’t stop.
I won’t live like this.
Freedom was just ahead—
Until a presence descended behind her.
Heavy. Fast. Unavoidable.
Before she could react, something slammed into her, pulling her away from the path.
A deafening crash followed.
The ground shattered.
Pain exploded through her body.
“…Why…?” she whispered weakly.
Above her, a figure knelt—breathing heavily.
Taika.
Blood dripped from his side, staining the earth beneath him.
“I told you…” he said through clenched teeth, “don’t run.”
Her eyes widened.
He… protected her?
Even after everything she had done?
Before she could speak, shadows moved around them.
Rogue beastmen.
“So this is where the little bride ran off to,” one of them sneered.
Fear gripped her chest.
Taika stepped forward despite his injuries, placing himself between her and them.
“…Stay behind me.”
His voice was steady.
Unwavering.
And for the first time…
She felt something she had never expected to feel toward one of her husbands.
Not fear.
Not resentment.
But confusion.
…Why would he still protect me?
That night marked the beginning of everything.
The beginning of her guilt.
The beginning of change.
And the moment that would lead to the first time… she reached out—not in cruelty—
…but in gratitude.
- Writer
